A Critical Review of Sale and Purchase Agreements in the Transfer of Land Rights: An Analysis of Dwaling as a Defect of Consent
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33751/jhss.v10i2.204Keywords:
dwaling , defect of consent, land sale and purchase, Land Deed Official, legal protectionAbstract
A land sale and purchase agreement is a legal act that involves not only private law relations but also land administration and legal certainty. One of the key issues arising in such transactions is dwaling or mistake, a defect of consent that occurs when a party enters into an agreement based on an erroneous understanding of the essential elements of the contractual object. This study aims to analyze the legal regulation of dwaling in land sale and purchase agreements, identify the forms of mistake that occur in practice, and examine its legal consequences and possible remedies. This research employs normative legal research using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches. The legal materials are analyzed qualitatively through legal interpretation of the Indonesian Civil Code, land law regulations, legal doctrines, and relevant court decisions. The findings indicate that the regulation of dwaling under Indonesian positive law remains general and has not been specifically harmonized with the characteristics of land transactions. Mistakes in land sale and purchase agreements commonly concern land area and boundaries, land title status, the authority of the seller, the existence of disputes, legal encumbrances, and restrictions on land use. The legal consequence of an agreement containing dwaling is that the agreement may be annulled, provided that the mistake concerns an essential element of the contract. Therefore, strengthening the precautionary principle for Land Deed Officials, improving the accuracy of land data, and ensuring balanced legal protection between transactional certainty and justice for the mistaken party are necessary.
References
[1] Amin, M., Septyanun, N., & Erwin, Y. (2023). Legal protection for good-faith buyers in the sale and purchase of land rights. *Collegium Studiosum Journal, 6*(2), 479–491. https://doi.org/10.56301/csj.v6i2.1099
[2] Hutchinson, T., & Duncan, N. (2012). Defining and describing what we do: Doctrinal legal research. *Deakin Law Review, 17*(1), 83–119. https://doi.org/10.21153/dlr2012vol17no1art70
[3] Larasati, F. R., & Bakri, M. (2019). Implementation of Supreme Court Circular Letter Number 4 of 2016 in judges’ decisions on providing legal protection for good-faith buyers. *Jurnal Konstitusi, 15*(4), 881–902. https://doi.org/10.31078/jk15410
[4] Majeed, N., Hilal, A., & Khan, A. N. (2023). Doctrinal research in law: Meaning, scope and methodology. *Bulletin of Business and Economics, 12*(4), 559–563. https://doi.org/10.61506/01.00167
[5] Negara, T. A. S. (2023). Normative legal research in Indonesia: Its origins and approaches. *Audito Comparative Law Journal, 4*(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.22219/aclj.v4i1.24855
[6] Republic of Indonesia. (1960). *Law Number 5 of 1960 concerning Basic Agrarian Principles*.
[7] Republic of Indonesia. (1997). *Government Regulation Number 24 of 1997 concerning Land Registration*.
[8] Republic of Indonesia. (1998). *Government Regulation Number 37 of 1998 concerning the Regulation on the Office of Land Deed Officials*.
[9] Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia. (2016). *Supreme Court Circular Letter Number 4 of 2016 concerning the Enforcement of the Formulation of the 2016 Supreme Court Chamber Plenary Meeting Results as Guidelines for the Implementation of Court Duties*.
[10] Saputra, A. (2022). Application of the precautionary principle in making a power of attorney to sell deed in a land sale and purchase binding agreement. *Officium Notarium, 1*(3), 492–499. https://doi.org/10.20885/JON.vol1.iss3.art9
[11] Sugiastuti, N. Y., Desmayanti, R., & Shahin, N. S. A. (2023). Judges’ attitude in applying Article 1321 of the Indonesian Civil Code: A study of court decisions in Indonesia. *Jurnal Hukum IUS QUIA IUSTUM, 30*(3), 673–691. https://doi.org/10.20885/iustum.vol30.iss3.art10
[12] Sugiastuti, N. Y., & Purnamasari, D. (2023). Improvement of substantive provisions of the validity of agreement in the Indonesian Civil Code. *Diponegoro Law Review, 8*(1), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.14710/dilrev.8.1.2023.124-140
[13] Widia, I. K., & Budiartha, I. N. P. (2022). Defect of consent as a basis for the annulment of an agreement. *Kertha Wicaksana, 16*(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.22225/kw.16.1.2022.1-6
